The PH is one of the most important parameters for characterizing the chemical properties of a solution. At present, the glass electrode is the most widely used sensor for detecting the PH value of the solution. In some special situations, e.g., in vivo applications, it is required that the PH sensor can be miniaturized, however, due to the fragility of the glass, the miniaturization of a PH sensor e.g., a glass electrode, is restricted. In addition, in some corrosive environments, e.g., in hydrofluoric acid solutions, the glass electrode does not respond properly to the PH detection.
The glass electrode is restricted in industrial application, and integrating it into home appliances is also very difficult because of a potential safety issue (frangibility of the glass), professional maintenance requirements, and short lifetime, etc.
On the other hand, the glass electrode is usually used as a working electrode in the prior art, and is used in co-operation with the reference electrode, e.g., an Ag/AgCl, saturated calomel electrode. Because calomel and the like are toxic and pollute the environment, it is better to avoid using the saturated calomel electrode. In addition, the use of the reference electrode also results in high cost and difficult maintenance of the electrode pair constituted by the glass electrode and the reference electrode.
Thus, there is an urgent need in the art to solve the above technical problems.